Ayahuasca questions

I'm thinking about trying Ayahuasca some time soon, and I had a few questions. Seems like there's a shit load on it since it's been around for centuries in a religious context and I have no clue where to start. I don't understand the chewing / cooking / mixing, inhibitors.. mmm.

Can anyone give me a basic explanation of what plant material I'd need? What I'd need to mix it with? Is this something that can be legally obtained in America? I know there is laws concerning it in a religious context..

Anyway, if any body could lay this out for me I'd really appreciate it.. I'll attempt to do more research myself to see if I can clear up any cob webs on my understanding for this material...

So the question then is, where to get these materials. From what it sounds like, the brewing is simple enough.

This was the posted brewing method for those ingredients I listed:

white vinegar or cider vinegar distilled or filtered water 2 STAINLESS STEEL or PYREX Ceramic pots (do not use aluminum.)

1) wrap the caapi in a towel and break it up with a hammer until it is shredded.

2) In one pot, put in the chacruna, the caapi, a tablespoon of vinegar, and a 2-3 liters of water.

3) simmer for 2-3 hours or until water level gets low. avoid boiling- it should be just cool enough not to bubble. Speak your intentions to the brew as it is brewing; listen to the sounds it makes. do not leave it unattended; if you need to do something different, turn off the stove.

4) pouring the brew into a second pot or container, filter through a cloth (eg a t-shirt) until the brew becomes is no longer muddy-colored, probably 4 or 5times. (an excellent method for easy filtering is to duct tape a t-shirt over an empty pot, allowing you both hands to pour the brew. the t-shirt will become quickly clogged, so for each filter you must use a fresh section of cloth.) If a second pot is available, you can reduce the first wash while continuing with the second two; if not, the succesive washes can be collected and reduced the next day.

druiddream recommends not filtering until all washes have been completed, to ensure that one is filtering the least concentrated brew possible.

only warm or hot ayahuasca will clear up during filtering: cool ayahuasca is naturally a muddier, cloudier liquid.

5) repeat steps 2-5 three times. (As an analogy, what you are doing is similar to successively making three cups of tea with one teabag, combining each of those three cups into one pot, and boiling this down so it fits into one cup.)

7) at this point you will have a pot of reduced, drinkable ayahuasca. each dose should between the size of a standard shot and a cup. (less concentrated brews taste better, but leave you with more to drink.)

420 times has my life been saved. NORML / thc-foundation .org

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